It’s been one of the most fascinating NFL seasons I can remember and we haven’t even entered the season’s final stretch.
Just look at the standings, where a record number of teams seem to be embroiled in mediocrity, either 4-6 or 5-5. Then there’s the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers who stand above the rest, both with a legitimate chance to finish the season undefeated.
On the field, there’s been what seems to be a record number of injuries, especially to some of the league’s top quarterbacks. Teams like the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys have had their entire seasons completely wiped out because of major injuries to key players.
Below I will take a look at five of the biggest storylines for the final month of the season.
1 – Will the Denver Broncos give Peyton Manning his starting job back?
It’s one of the most awkward situations imaginable for a franchise. What do you do when you’re a legitimate Super Bowl contender but your quarterback, perhaps the most dominant in the history of the NFL, is holding back your offense? That’s something the Denver Broncos will have to answer over the next few weeks. It took plantar fasciitis in his foot for Peyton Manning to finally head to the bench, as the Broncos continued to play him through the first half of the season, despite a league-leading 19 interceptions in just nine starts. Brock Osweiler, a second-round pick in the 2012 draft, turned in an impressive first start against the Chicago Bears, throwing for 250 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. So where do the Broncos go from here? Osweiler is a free agent after the season, so this could be a perfect opportunity for the Broncos to see if the fourth-year quarterback has the skillset to take over as the starter in 2016. But Manning’s resume speaks for himself, and benching a five-time league MVP, especially for a guaranteed playoff team, would be a historic move by new Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak. If Osweiler finds a way to beat the undefeated Patriots on Sunday night, it’s going to get a lot harder for Manning to earn his job back.
2 – Can the Green Bay Packers fix their offensive problems?
How is a football team with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback unable to move the ball up the field and score points? That’s what is causing full-blown paranoia in Green Bay, as the Packers have dropped four of five following a hot 6-0 start. They’ve averaged just 19.6 points per game during that stretch. Eddie Lacy is running hard and back from his well-publicized weight issues that temporarily cost him his starting spot, but the receiving trio of Randall Cobb, Davante Adams and James Jones has been exposed without top wideout Jordy Nelson. It’s hard to see the Packers missing the playoffs, as they still face Detroit, Oakland and the Brandon Weeden Cowboys. But whether they’ll actually be able to advance anywhere once they reach the postseason is another story.
3 – Just how bad will the Chip Kelly era get in Philadelphia?
Chip Kelly went all-in with the Eagles this offseason, changing around the entire franchise. He traded Nick Foles and two draft picks for Sam Bradford, an injury-prone quarterback coming off consecutive torn ACLs. He traded star running back LeSean McCoy for linebacker Kiko Alonso, who missed all of 2014 with a torn ACL after a dominant rookie season. He released All-Pro guard Evan Mathis and allowed top wide receiver Jeremy Maclin to leave in free agency. Oh, and he failed in his all-in quest to acquire his former college quarterback, Marcus Mariota. But a record breaking preseason caused many, including myself, to think the Eagles would be one of the league’s best teams in 2015. It’s safe to say the opposite has happened. Sam Bradford has struggled and missed time with injuries, new running back DeMarco Murray looks like a shell of the player who led the league in rushing in 2014, the wide receiver corps has been plagued by drops, and the offensive line has been both injury-prone and inconsistent. Through 10 games, the Eagles have just four wins, ranking 20th in scoring offense and suffering consecutive blowout losses to subpar teams. The team is showing all signs of a unit that has quit on Chip Kelly, raising legitimate concerns about whether the former Oregon coach will be around in 2016 for a fourth season. It’s bound to be a fascinating offseason for an Eagles team that could very well be looking for a new general manager, head coach and quarterback this offseason.
4 – Who will be the team nobody wants to face entering the postseason?
The best team in the National Football League is almost never the team that wins the Super Bowl. Now recent years would disprove this theory, with New England winning in 2014 and Seattle in 2013. But look at the previous three seasons. Baltimore (2012), NY Giants (2011), and Green Bay (2010) all snuck into the playoffs before embarking on a historic run. Each went through a point in the season where a collapse and missing the playoffs seemed inevitable, but all three rebounded from rough stretches to win four straight playoff games. Now if the season ended before the start of Week 12, the Kansas City Chiefs might be the team nobody wants to face. Winners of their last four after a 1-5 start, Andy Reid’s bunch looks like a strong bet to earn one of the two wild-card spots in the AFC. But with another month and a half before the end of the season, my bet is on the Seattle Seahawks (5-5) and Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) to enter the playoffs as the hottest team in each conference.
5 – Can the New England Patriots or Carolina Panthers go undefeated?
The New England Patriots’ dominance this season shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as they won last year’s Super Bowl and have been the best team in football for the majority of the last 15 seasons. It’s the Carolina Panthers who have shocked the world by starting off the season 11-0. Throw in their four wins to end the 2014 season and they’ve emerged victorious in 15 straight regular season games. Their remaining schedule isn’t too difficult either, giving them an outside chance at completing the second 16-0 season in league history. For the Patriots, the major obstacle will be overcoming all their injuries, especially on the offensive side of the ball. But as long as they have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, a 16-0 season isn’t out of the question, especially since they did it once before. Personally, I expect the Panthers to finish 14-2, but I fully expect the Patriots to enter the postseason without a loss. This time, their goal will be making sure they also end the postseason without a loss.
